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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794835">Shield. Father. Friend.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseisaRoseisaRose/pseuds/RoseisaRoseisaRose'>RoseisaRoseisaRose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Azure Moon - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and pining, PostWar, Slice of Life, and a little bit of mourning but not too much</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:34:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,095</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseisaRoseisaRose/pseuds/RoseisaRoseisaRose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I got enough of wishes and superstition back at school,” Felix said stiffly. “As far as I can tell it’s just painting a target on your back so the goddess can shoot you when she feels like having some fun."</p><p> </p><p>Felix works on honoring the dead, compromising with tradition, and saying what he means. Annette works on not tripping headfirst into a fountain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shield. Father. Friend.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I just don’t see what the big deal is about.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s sweet. And I think it looks nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, I guess. Doesn’t seem worth having a whole ceremony over.”</p><p> </p><p>“The ceremony’s not for the fountain and you know it,” Annette finally said with a hint of exasperation that Felix had missed. She’d only arrived in Fhirdiad two weeks ago, evidently staying the summer with Mercedes in some unfashionable part of town. “Besides, you have to admit that this is better than Cornelia’s landscaping additions.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix looked up and down at the new fountain, ostentatiously placed at the front entrance to Fhirdiad’s Royal Castle. Annette had a point – Cornelia’s additions to the castle had been sharp lines in dark colors, geodesic statues in the entryways, and carnivorous plants in the gardens. This fountain was much more in line with the palace Felix remembered from his childhood, with a phoenix rising from the center and jets of water spraying in four cardinal directions. A golden plaque on the bottom read <em>In Memory of Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius: Shield, Father, Friend</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Dimitri had made a boring speech that Felix had only halfway paid attention to, about the phoenix (or maybe it was an eagle?) representing new horizons or strength or sacrifice or something. It didn’t really matter. It was dramatic, and Dimitri liked it, so Felix figured his old man would’ve liked it well enough, as well.</p><p> </p><p>He realized Annette was frowning as she looked at him, reading him like a spellbook that she hadn’t quite grasped yet. If any of those still existed. He looked down at her, trying to keep his expression blank.</p><p> </p><p>“Was it hard for you?” she asked. “The commemoration ceremony?”</p><p> </p><p>Felix shrugged. “Dimitri hasn’t let me on the training grounds for two days because of diplomatic nonsense,” he groused. “And I’m sure there’s work piling up for me in Fraldarius. And I’m not looking forward to the banquet tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t, either. The last banquet hadn’t even been celebrating his family line and three separate noblewomen had still managed to insinuate, peering over champagne flutes and fans, that they would very much like to be a part of it. Annette hadn’t been at that one, though, he reminded himself. That shouldn’t really make a difference to him, he reminded himself more sternly.</p><p> </p><p>“Felix,” Annette said with equal sternness. He wondered if he was picking up her lectures as well as her music, and if she would eventually overtake his brain altogether. “You know that’s not what I mean. Just – he was your father, you know? Are you – are you managing?”</p><p> </p><p>Felix wasn’t sure how to begin answering that question, so he settled for his favorite combination of shrugging and lying. “Don’t worry about me, Annette,” he said. He frowned at the statue of the bird rising above the fountain, eternally buoyed by water. Maybe it was a hawk, now that he looked at it. “The fountain’s just what he would want – pretty to look at and completely useless,” he said. “And now everyone will know for the rest of time how much he and Dimitri loved each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Managing great, then,” Annette said, and her sudden slip into sarcasm made Felix laugh for the first time in days. She sighed and leaned into the fountain. Felix’s fingers twitched from wanting to catch her from tumbling in, but she merely stretched her hand out and reached into the descending water, spraying mist in every direction, including onto Felix. She ignored him as he shook water out of his eyes, and looked up at the falcon-raven-peacock statue thoughtfully. “I wish I’d brought some coin with me,” she mused. “We could’ve made wishes.”</p><p> </p><p>“What would you wish for?” Felix asked, not really paying attention to the question as he watched water splash against Annette’s top and cascade down her arms. She didn’t seem to care.</p><p> </p><p>“Felix!” she exclaimed. He wondered if he’d been staring too obviously, but she quickly added, “If I tell you, it won’t come <em>true</em>.” Her ears burned a bit too red, and Felix wondered if she had a specific wish in mind. Maybe there was another level of spellcasting she had yet to pass, or something. Maybe she’d wish for 25 hours in a day. She straightened up, waving her arm uselessly in the air in an attempt to dry it, and smiled at him.  “What would you wish for?” she asked sweetly, ever the hypocrite.</p><p> </p><p>Felix reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to her. “I got enough of wishes and superstition back at school,” he said stiffly. “As far as I can tell it’s just painting a target on your back so the goddess can shoot you when she feels like having some fun – no, keep it. What if you spill wine on yourself at dinner?” he said, as Annette offered him a slightly damp handkerchief back.</p><p> </p><p>Annette pulled a face at him as she neatly folded the handkerchief and put it in her bag. He wasn’t sure what else she could fit in it; it was very small. “You’re so mean, Felix.”</p><p> </p><p>“To you or to the goddess?” he asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Both,” she said, snapping her bag shut with a clang.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, next time I have gold to spare and I’m by a fountain, I’ll just ask the goddess to give you whatever you want,” Felix said. “Make it up to both of you.” He looked down at her, then added, “Where are you sitting at dinner tonight?”</p><p> </p><p>“I dunno,” Annette said. “Wherever they put me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sit next to me; I’ll get Dimitri to move you,” Felix said. He added quickly, “I don’t want to cause a royal scandal by not eating whatever awful dessert they serve in my father’s honor.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix didn’t wish for things, these days, but he certainly wanted things.</p><p> </p><p>Annette smiled at him in a way that made him think he had spoken too quickly, or maybe not quickly enough – a shy, knowing smile that made his knees feel unsteady. “I suppose I could help with that,” she said. “I guess I’d better go get my gossip from Mercie now, huh?” She turned her back on the fountain, his family legacy, and he was eager to follow after her back towards their friends and allies.</p><p> </p><p>A small part of him knew he would have coins with him the next time he walked past the fountain. And if he just thought <em>Annette</em> as he tossed them in, he figured the goddess could sort out for herself what that might mean.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Dimitri probably wanted, like, a giant statue of Rodrigue in the city square. Felix probably wanted a really nice plaque by a trash can somewhere, but like a nice trash can, one that everyone agreed was very useful and well-placed.</p><p>I just think a fountain is a nice compromise! </p><p>Faerghus in general is very lion-motifed, but it seems more connected with Loog. Is there an animal connected with House Fraldarius? I did absolutely no research for this, including paying any attention when I played the game. So we went with an Undoubtedly Noble Bird of Indiscriminate Species but I'd be curious if there are other animals that could be used symbolically for Dominic and Fraldarius. Maybe I'll write more fountain stories, idk, it never hurts to have good headcanons!</p><p> <br/><a href="https://twitter.com/Rose3Writes"> Catch me on twitter! </a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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